Friday, May 23, 2014

The Family Spirit

But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:15-16)

The inspiring Easter hymn He Lives declares in the opening verse: I serve a risen Savior with the Chorus ending in a crescendo: You ask me how I know He lives: He lives within my heart. The only way to sing this hymn is to do so by standing up. You want all the diaphragm stretch room you can get to give that last line of the Chorus all of the punch you can give it - He livesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss withinnnnnnnnnnnnnn my hearttttttttttttttttt!

Don't think for a moment that a good Pentecostal misses an opportunity singing this hymn with uplifted hands in praise punctuated with "Alleluias and Thank you Jesus!" As a fourth generation Pentecostal, I know about these things!

I've been thinking a lot lately about my relationship with the Lord. The reading from Peter's Epistle today prods me on in this effort. The incomparable Spiritual, 'Lord, I want to be a Christian' expresses the deep prayer of my heart and the depth of meaning found in this verse 'but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord':

Lord, I want to be a Christian

in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be a Christian.

In my heart, in my heart,

Lord, I want to be a Christian in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving

in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more loving in my heart.

In my heart, in my heart,

Lord I want to be more loving in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy

in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.

In my heart, in my heart,

Lord, I want to be more holy in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus

in my heart, in my heart.

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

In my heart, in my heart,

Lord, I want to be like Jesus in my heart.

Peter's words are within the context of Christian trial and suffering. Such times in the life of the Christian can create bitterness in the heart. Left unchecked, bitterness suffocates the joy of Christ and we begin to gasp for the immaculate air of holiness we once breathed. Bitterness spawns thoughts of reprisal. Where is Christ when these things take over our heart? On the outside knocking on the door of our heart.

Out of the heart bereft of Christ come evil thoughts, murderous plans, and revengeful and spiteful ambitions. This is why Peter exhorts us to pay attention to the Holy Guest in our lives - to the life he gives us in his love. Proverbs 4:23 says: Keep you heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the issues of life. This is why we need another Advocate; Comforter; the Helper that Jesus talks about. For the Holy Spirit helps us to pray and to be bold as a witness for Christ. Through the Spirit we become a dwelling place for God; to be the face, hands, and voice of Christ. He sanctifies our hearts and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit we call Jesus Lord and invite others to love Him too.

And what will we say whenever someones asks us to give a reason for the hope we have in Christ? We need the Holy Spirit to give us the words we are to speak. In those moments we can pray, "Come Holy Spirit and help me to say what Jesus would say. And help me to say it how he would say it; with gentleness and reverence."

The New Testament is full of references to our life that is in Christ; for example - If anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation… And when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives He does help us to daily be alive in Christ. Because if Christ is alive we live also! And we're talking about life that is abundant and joy that is unspeakable! This is what the Holy Spirit inspires.

Preparing his disciples for the time of His Passion and Ascension, when he would no longer be visibly present Christ says that he will not leave his followers orphans but will send to them another Advocate, the Spirit of truth. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to make us one with the Thrice Holy Family for when the Holy Spirit comes, Jesus says, "On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you." Amen.

Dennis Hankins is a parishioner at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral, of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN. Prior to uniting with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil 2006, Dennis served as a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. E-mail Dennis at: dennishankins@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter: @dshankins or visit him at: www.dennishankins.com